Thereafter
by ChromaZero
Summary: Victory and Happiness go hand in hand, yet the Sacrifices and Sadness always remain as well. No more the man he was, and standing by himself, he must overcome his grief and mend his spirit. But how? And more importantly, for what reason? NaruHana.


_**Thereafter**_

Silence… The battlefield was filled with complete and utter silence. It was as if a void had taken hold onto that very moment, muting it. Color drained from existence and the sun itself seemed to falter in its presence. Perhaps even the gods themselves cast their gaze upon this instant, only to hold their breath.

No tree was swaying, no river was flowing and no heart was beating. All was silent.

Some will call it an artists' perfection, for that one moment in time came to a temporary hold and granted both eternal happiness and sadness. Happiness that their goal had finally been achieved, and sadness… at the price it came for.

Destruction… The battlefield was filled with brutal and unforgiving destruction. It was as if all the Earth's fury had descended upon the Elemental Nations, obliterating them. No tree was swaying because there were no trees. No river was flowing because there were no rivers. And there were no hearts beating because every Ninja upon that battlefield… was dead.

His eyes then opened, and the blood-red tears continued to fall.

_Happiness_... He thought. _Happiness is overshadowed so easily._ _The moment a droplet of sadness exists, it becomes exploited by our masochistic human nature. We nurture it, let it grow and allow it take root within our hearts. We believe that if we manage to live with such a dark emotion, that if we can survive and overcome it, then the feeling of loss, of sacrifice… of failure, can be atoned for. _He allowed himself a sad, painful smile and continued to lie in bed. _It's funny that a person can reach such conclusions about themselves and not feel the need move on. To think that this state of heart and mind can bring some twisted satisfaction with oneself._

A deep sigh escaped his lips. Tilting his head to the left, he could see rays of sunshine peering through the curtains, illuminating his small room somewhat. To his right, there a medium sized drawer where his clothes were kept in and on top of it, was a small alarm clock that had several suspiciously large indentations. Other than that, the room was surrounded by plain white walls, had an oaken floor and a door that led to the hallway.

He continued to stare towards the source of light, entranced by his thoughts once again. _Both my dreams and reality bring nothing but sadness. I am reminded either way and it shows, yet I do nothing about it. _Yes, he barely knew himself anymore. He used to be able to laugh and joke, to relax and enjoy. He could argue with his friends, and especially with his superiors. He could boast and shout, claim to do anything he set his mind to. He would train to become stronger, to protect what was dear to him. And now… Now, he was but a shell of the man he once was. The fierce passion in his eyes had dimmed, his trained posture became lax and his spirit was left broken. He was no man…_ Not anymore._ He sighed once again. That would be enough self-pity for the day he figured, with a hint of sarcasm. _At least my sarcasm stuck with me. _

He turned to his right, and looked at the time. It was 11:30. _Dammit. _He was late again._ Tsume is going to kill me. _Tsume Inuzuka. If you were to describe her, it would be very close to his old personality. She was loud, boisterous and had a knack for sarcastic insults. However, at times she would take the role of an affectionate mother, who was caring and supportive through thick and thin. Until she hit you over the head, that is. She had short, brown hair which was as wild as it gets, and on each cheek she had the standard Inuzuka war-paint, a red triangle pointing downwards. _I still think it's just some weird type of make-up._

Yes, that woman was his boss at the Konoha Veterinary Clinic, which was run by the Inuzuka Clan. He had been working there for the past three weeks, helping their clan tend to their companions, as well as any other animals that were submitted to the clinic. Unlike other places he had been working for, this job gave him a small sense of redemption. He was helping those in need, and even if it was a little selfish, he managed to feel good about himself for a little while.

Slowly he got himself into a sitting position and put his feet onto the ground. _It's cold_, he thought. And indeed, winter had unceremoniously befallen the village hidden in the leaves. All the trees were now stark naked, the only clothe was the cold, cold snow. Lakes were flash-frozen and rivers drained the heat of a body within mere seconds. It had not been this cold since fifty years. Civilian and ninja alike preferred not to leave their home, except perhaps during midday, when the sun was the highest. Shops and stalls closed early, schools were off on occasional days and even the hot springs were not as crowded as usual. The only exception was the Hokage tower, which was buzzing with life no more than usual.

He willed himself into a standing position, shaking off the morning wooziness after a few seconds. He paused, took a deep breath and after one last look towards the curtain-drawn window, he decided to live through the day.

* * *

The chapter itself is rather short, that I admit. However, I thought that seeing as this is my first story in like… ever, I should take things a little slow. And by slow I mean that I write 900 words as the first chapter, post it onto FanFiction, see what the readers think (given that people read it) and take things from there.

Now, in all honesty, I am rather excited about this. I think I've found a new interest in writing, more so than before I even started this story, and I would like to ask the readers to consider the following requests:

1) Please, please, please do leave a review in which you obviously tell me what sucked, what I could improve and maybe even what was good about this first chapter.

2) Please, please, please do Request Numero Uno in non-flamer sort of way. Constructive criticism, otherwise I will be sad… and I don't want that. Kay? Kay. ;-)

Other than that, THANK YOU for reading up until now – I really appreciate it – and hopefully I will see you in Chapter 2 of _**Thereafter**_.

Thee ya!

-ChromaZero


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